Mike Karlesky

I hold degrees in both electrical engineering and computer science from Grand Valley State University. At GVSU I also completed the Honors Program and had the privilege of being simultaneously selected as the top graduate in both of my major programs by the Engineering and Computer Science faculty.

My business experience and interests lie within the world of small business and entrepreneurialism. I’ve been involved with several startups, started my own company, and I worked as an independent consultant before joining Atomic Object. My entrepreneurial experience includes a variety of technical and management roles in projects including a unified communications appliance for the home, cell phone-based remote car starter, and a TV show for the web.

I most enjoy technical work involving embedded systems and a certain engineering flavor. I’ve been the architect and developer on projects including a DSP-based weather processing system, an automated calibration and processing system for temperature sensors, and a QNX-based proof-of-concept target finding platform for the military. I’m proficient with C/C++, Java, C#, and the C/PEG embedded graphical library as well as several variants of embedded platforms and communication protocols.

I also really enjoy online marketing and writing. I’ve had a prominent role in creating and maintaining AO’s current website (that you’re presently reading) and its blog, atomic_spin.

Like many others in the office, I love cycling. Most recently I purchased a road bike (Cannondale Synapse Sport) and have been working on endurance riding. In 2003, I started a mailing list known as The Weekly Digest. The Weekly Digest Editorial Board continues its publication today.

Open Source Contributions

Unity: A lightweight, C-based unit test framework well-suited for embedded systems.

Publications

Mocking the Embedded World:
Test-Driven Development, Continuous Integration, and Design Patterns
Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley
San Jose, California, USA
April 2007

Effective TDD for Embedded Software
IEEE 2006 Electro/Information Technology Conference
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
May 2006

Writing

Surviving and Thriving as an Inshoring Software Company

Mysteries and Puzzles

A Moral Obligation to Marketing